Laura Anderson
Pets - we all love them! Nearly everyone has at least owned a pet or dreamed about it. In fact, in 2021 there were 34 million pets in the UK alone! Puppy love, or more appropriately animal love, is spreading like wildfire, but is this causing more problems than good?
As stated in my previous article, “Puppy Love Problems”, the population of dogs alone in the UK doubled between 2010 and 2017. This massive surge in the dogs is causing trouble in animal shelters across the globe. In the UK, it is estimated that 2.7 million animals enter shelters each year, but only half of these will be adopted.
In dogs alone, over 50% are not neutered or spayed. This has contributed to the increase in population, and as a result around 2 million puppies are born each year. However, not every home is fit for a pet and neither is every family. Consequently, these dogs have nowhere to go and as a result remain in the shelter.
This is not just a problem for dogs but for our cats too. Surveys show that 70% of owners admit to their cats pregnancy being unplanned, which has led to many litters of unwanted kittens. Carrie Stones from the RSPCA describes the UK as “facing a cat overpopulation crisis.”
In the last 10 years, the UK has seen a rise of 6% of cats and dogs entering our animal shelters. Subsequently, shelters are taking on average 4 days to become full. Many of our shelters do not have sufficient funds to care for these vast amounts of animals that are coming into their care.
Due to this limited shelter space, many animals are euthanized after a set number of days. In the UK, on any given day, an estimate of 2,000 animals are euthanized, with more than twice being put to sleep each year. All to make space for other abandoned animals.
Contributing to these large populations of animals are backyard breeders and puppy mills. These cruel practices raise animals in poor living conditions, and many of the puppies grow up with health and behavioural problems. These backyard breeders make profit by selling pedigree dogs, which are highly sought after due to the influence of social media.
In animal shelters, around 50% of dogs are crossbreeds which unfortunately makes them “less desirable” and as a result they are adopted out at a much lower rate. Due to this, vile backyard breeders make profit and shelters are left with thousands of animals to care for.
So what can you do to help change this? During the lockdowns, pet adoptions soared and in the US euthnasia rates dropped by 50%. You may have heard the phrase “Adopt Don’t Shop” which has become rather outdated in today’s time. Instead, you should “Adopt Or Shop Responsibly.”
There are thousands of animals in shelters waiting for their forever home, and one of them may just be your perfect match! However, shelter animals can come with an array of health and behavioural problems, which may not work out for many families. Instead, you should shop responsibly: always ensure that your animals come from a reputable breeder. Finally, neuter and spay your pets! The world has enough unwanted animals.
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